It is distinguished from other members of the genus by the male's shiny black area on the abdomen, after which the species is named.

[4] In 2015, Wayne Maddison allocated it in the subtribe Aelurillina in the tribe Aelurillini, which is placed in the clade Saltafresia.

[6] The species name is a Latin word that can be translated brilliant and recalls the shining area on the male's abdomen.

The spider can be distinguished from the similar Stenaelurillus tettu by the narrow and bent projection from the palpal bulb.

[9] Due to the lack of the abdomen's shiny patch, it is the design of the epigyne that most distinguishes the female of the species from other members of the genus.

[7] The species was first identified in the Viphya Mountains of Malawi based on examples found in 1978.